When Calling the Police on an Abusive Partner Leads to a Victim Losing Her Home

When Calling the Police on an Abusive Partner Leads to a Victim Losing Her Home

The ordinances get the abuse backward. “It’s like saying if somebody gets burglarized they’re going to be kicked out of their house,” said Penny Venetis, executive vice president and legal director at the advocacy organization Legal Momentum. “If you’re the victim of a crime, how could you possibly be evicted from your house?”

It can have devastating consequences. “Women should not have to choose between being homeless and staying alive or keeping their children alive,” Venetis said. But “really that’s the choice you’re forcing them to make.”

Action from states like Pennsylvania and Illinois could help pave the way. “If one state does it, it’s easier for another state to do it,” Venetis said. “When things like this happen it’s like a domino effect.”